Day Eighteen

October 19, 2023

wire mesh, a.k.a. ‘Blood Metal’

barn raising

the picture above is of the only thing so far that has caused me injury. it’s used to hold a concrete form - in a space between tires on the wall (where a squishy won’t work) or along the base of the inner or outer walls.

i accidentally brushed up against once and it gave me 3 really sharp cuts. like paper cuts, only with metal. and it bled a lot. you’ve been warned.

here’s today’s walk around. i’ve added a few pictures to show the can walls that are being placed between the top of the tire wall and the rafters. the can wall could be solid, without any cans, but that’s not structurally necessary. by using cans here, we make use of something that would be thrown away, and we save money on materials (the plaster).

in the picture below, i helped put up nearly all those braces in order to secure the outer greenhouse wall and keep it plumb. this is where the greenhouse will be, running most of the length of this hallway.

we’ve entered into a stage of building where the ‘blunt instrument’ work of tire pounding is being replaced with tasks that require a little more skill or thought. as such, there isn’t one, simple thing that you’ll be doing all day. and that usually means spending time with a bunch of different people.

for example, i worked with hans, dina, and nathaniel on bracing and plumbing the outer greenhouse wall. then the four of us were recruited by will to erect the scaffolding. i pounded tires with christin and rio. i made a beam that will fit between a door and a windowbox with john. i cut hard insulation with kris and christin. some brief rebar work with nathan and anthony. then rolling and securing tar paper over the plywood on the roof with will, jade and nathan. nathan of the boundless energy, who basically sprinted while also squatting as he stapled the tar paper to the plywood.

really an incredible amount of socialization while constructing something that will serve the planet and a few people well. which makes me consider amish barn-raisings in a new light.

finally a video, panning across the inside of the structure.